This proposal presents coordinated efforts of more than 30 investigators from several different disciplines to provide new approaches to research, education, and community efforts. During the first two years of MAC funding (10/1/77-8/30/79) fruitful collaboration in all of these areas has occurred and has promoted ever-increasing interactions between rheumatologists, endocrinologists, radiologists, biochemists, orthopedists, immunologists, geneticists, economists, educators, allied health professionals and community leaders. As a result, we are proposing eight new development-and-feasibility studies in research, 3 in education and 2 in community programs. The remainder of the projects described under education and community sections expand upon our initial efforts. The programs are designed to emphasize the assets of this particular center, which include a large patient population (2100 hospital beds, 6 rheumatic disease clinics) drawn from 8 midwestern states, strong research divisions in rheumatology, immunology, genetics and metabolism, a large demographically defined prepaid medical care group which is part of the university, and active community groups associated with the Arthritis Foundation and the Lupus Foundation.